1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to trailers and, more particularly, to a trailer for loading and transporting large specialized vehicles such as farm and construction machinery, buses and tractors, and for use in other industrial applications.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
It is known to provide a trailer having a shiftable undercarriage which includes a pair of tracks on the bed and a pair of ramps for raising the bed relative to the undercarriage when the latter is shifted from a roading position to provide sufficient spacing between the bed and the undercarriage for clearance of the bed understructure during movement of the undercarriage. Examples of such a construction are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,125,198 and 4,231,710 to Landoll.
It would be desirable to further improve the construction and operation of these known devices by reducing the roading height of a trailer to permit the trailer to be used in transporting taller machinery than was permitted to be transported with previous trailers. In addition, it would be advantageous to provide a trailer having a still lower angle of loading than presently exists on known trailers so as to increase the utility of the trailer and to permit loading of machinery having very little ground clearance such as buses, asphalt laydown equipment, fork lifts and aerial lift equipment.